Gill, Iyer return as India name squad for NZ ODIs
What's the story
Shubman Gill will lead India in the upcoming three-match home ODI series against New Zealand, starting on January 11. The star opener had missed India's last ODI assignment, against South Africa, due to injury issues. Meanwhile, vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has also returned for his first assignment in three months. However, his participation is subjected to fitness. Here are further details.
Batters
Big names in batting department
Meanwhile, the squad is also laced with talismans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Test regular Yashasvi Jaiswal has also retained his place, having scored a hundred in his last ODI. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been dropped despite enjoying a stellar run in List A cricket. KL Rahul will continue to be the first-choice keeper with Rishabh Pant being his back-up. Dhruv Jurel has been dropped.
Iyer
Will Iyer return to action?
Vice-captain Iyer has been out of action since suffering a serious injury during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney in late October. His participation is still subject to receiving medical clearance from BCCI CoE. If he fails to recover on time, Gaikwad may get another call-up. Ishan Kishan is another option who can get a go.
Bumrah
Bumrah continues to be absent from ODIs
With the T20 WC being just around the corner, India have rested Jasprit Bumrah for the ODI leg. The likes of Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Harshit Rana are the notable pacers in the team. Siraj has made a comeback to the ODI squad after over a year. In the all-round department, the selectors have gone with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
Pandya
Here's why Pandya is absent
One of the most notable absentees is Hardik Pandya, who has not been deemed fit to bowl his full quota of 10 overs by the CoE. The selectors hence did not want to take a risk ahead of the T20 WC. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist spinner is the team as all-rounders Jadeja and Sundar will assist him.
Information
India's squad for NZ ODIs
India's squad for New Zealand ODIs: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vc)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.